RPI Chief Ramdas Athawale decides to stay with NDA, demands two Lok Sabha seats from BJP

MUMBAI: Despite expressing his unhappiness over seat sharing in Maharashtra, Union Cabinet Minister and Republican Party of India (RPI) President Ramdas Athawale on Monday said that his party will not split from the BJP-led NDA alliance but demanded that the RPI must get representation at the Centre.

“We will stay with NDA but we have certain demands including that RPI should get one seat from Shiv Sena and one from BJP. We want two Lok Sabha seats. One seat should be in Mumbai and one outside Mumbai,” the RPI leader was quoted as saying by ANI.

“The party core committee has decided to continue being in NDA and will help Narendra Modi to be re-elected as Prime Minister. But he also added that party is not happy with the new set up of NDA in Maharashtra in terms of seat sharing.RPI will try its options for a respectable share of seats in Maharashtra for upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly polls,” he added.

Athawale said that RPI should get one Cabinet seat at the Centre and a Minister of state from Maharashtra if the BJP manages to win Lok Sabha poll and form government at the Centre.

It is to be noted that BJP and Shiv Sena have already reached an agreement over seat sharing in Maharashtra with the BJP fighting on 25 seats and Sena on 23 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, which has a total of 48 seats. The BJP and Sena have also agreed to contest an equal number of seats in the Assembly polls. 

(with ANI inputs)